Laser danger and botched Brazilians

Natasha Hughes

Their interiors may be seductive, their treatment menus intriguing but be aware: beauty salons can be bad for you looks. Inflamed skin, missing chunks of brow and scorched genitalia are regular occurrences at the hands of some beauticians - or ''butchers'' as their university trained peers like to call them.

''The concept of being professionals is lacking in their professional standards and behaviour,'' says Dr Alicia Teska, a Melbourne cosmetic physician. ''They're not taking responsibility for their own actions and for adverse reactions. They're not following through and taking criticism. If something's not working, they wash their hands of it. They take no personal responsibility. Once they've got the diploma they think they know all they need to know.''

Dr Teska, like many others in the industry, sees firsthand the damage caused by poorly trained and uncommitted beauty therapists, especially those in charge of cheap machinery. ''The equipment's not serviced, there's no insurance coverage. When things go wrong, they go wrong badly.'' A Sydney beauty editor had a bad run-in with a beautician wielding a Fraxel laser last month. The Fraxel was supposed to remove signs of visible ageing. Instead it removed random layers of skin unevenly. ''It's taking weeks to heal properly,'' says the journalist. ''I look a mess. I don't want to go out. I've got no comeback with the salon - I didn't sign anything and I didn't check her credentials. You'd think I would have known better.''

Ilesha Haywood, director of the Paramedical Skin Clinic in Melbourne, says a next-day, follow-up service should be standard with medical-grade treatments. ''The problem at most places is that a proper skin analysis isn't carried out in the first place and clients aren't given the appropriate treatments. The treatments either don't do anything - don't address the problems - or they irritate their skin. It's little wonder women are cynical about beauty therapists.'' Salons endorsed by a single cosmetic company and those selling only one or two lines are prone to spurious product recommendations. ''There's no 'one size fits all' with skin, no 'set menu','' says Haywood.

A hot stone massage at a Balinese-style day retreat almost left a lasting impression on Katie Waggott who, as a former therapist, used to train others in the technique. ''The therapist broke all the rules in one swoop,'' says Waggott, who now owns beautymill.com.au. ''She placed the stone just above my knee directly on my skin and left it there. I had to speak - 'that feels a bit hot' - and she removed the stone and then seemed to put it right back in a minute. It took six hours for the red mark to eventually start to die down. I actually thought I had a law suit on my hands - or leg.''

Grooming treatments are most open to error. We've all heard stories of women going home with half a calf left unwaxed or the wrong bit of the Brazilian removed but brows seem a particular hazard. ''I've seen some incredibly horrifying shapes and tint jobs in my time,'' says brow sculptor Amy-Jean. ''They go to their local 'butcher' for a basic wax and have ended up with Nike ticks, McDonalds arches or lamb chops. They smile, pay and bolt straight to the nearest eyebrow specialist for a repair job.'' One of the worst cases was an unwanted tattoo. ''A client came to me in tears explaining that she had just been to a beautician for a brow wax. She'd pointed out that a decent chunk had been removed from where her arch used to be and the therapist had insisted it was already bald and she must have had a scar there. She then convinced her to tattoo that area and used a harsh black pigment. This poor lady now has a racing stripe over her brow in a not-too-believable shade of grey-blue. And, you guessed it, she was charged for it.''

But clients need to take some responsibility. They need to speak up, says Waggott (who had struggled to find her voice as her flesh sizzled) and, says peeling specialist James Vivian, follow their therapists' advice. ''Patient 'horror stories' are exacerbated when clients begin to self-troubleshoot and this often ends up making matters worse,'' says Vivian. ''Clients should always follow the therapist's instructions. And don't forget that some treatments aim to stimulate the inflammation process within the skin, so a level of downtime and some after-effects should be expected.'' And Dr Teska, of Skin Temple medi-clinic, says medically trained beauty professionals could learn from the garden variety. ''Their presentation's better than medical clinics','' she says. ''Beauty therapists are good at connecting with clients and understanding them; it's personal, one-on-one. The touch factor is very important and sometimes the more highly trained professionals forget that.'' As long as ''the touch'' is in-touch with clients' needs and with the latest developments, there's a place for many types of beauty professionals. Just go to the right place.

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35 comments

I went to a well known beauty spa in the Sydney CBD... on clarence street (the name escapes me) for an eyebrow wax. The wax was boiling and I called out it was too hot and for her to take it off straight away. The very young therapist ripped it off taking my skin with it. She then told me I was imagining how sore it was, tried to apply make up to hide the redness (I refused) and sent me on my way. I was in pain and as soon as I got to the office I realised how bad it was and went back, in tears. The manager reluctantly gave me a refund and some antiseptic cream that stung. I had to go to the chemist for proper treatment. Needless to say I have not had a brow wax since (4 years!) and get my brows shaped by plucking only.

On the other hand I had a great experience with IPL (before the wax shocker) for my bikini line. Again the name escapes me but the place was on Market Street at the top of a high rise building. They were fabulous.

Commenter

Ali

Date and time

May 25, 2012, 1:44PM

@Ali

While I wasn't going to mention names here... its sounds like you may have gone to Stairway to Beauty. I have found them very professional, and while more expensive, I am more han willing to pay so as to get a professional job done.

At one stage I had a small growth thing on my face, I had just had a leg wax at a local salon, and when I asked the woman, she said it was a millea that they could remove in a facial.

I booked a facial with Stairway, and the woman said it wasn't millea and I should see a doctor. Lucky I didn't go back to the first place. It was only a benign growth, but I've decided to do nothing about it.

Commenter

JacJac

Location

Sydney

Date and time

May 27, 2012, 8:16AM

I think that the price of the service is definitely something to consider before choosing your beautician. Like most things, you get what you pay for, so it's definitely worth steering clear of the beauticians who are cheaper than what most others charge.

Commenter

D_Melbourne

Date and time

May 25, 2012, 1:45PM

Just not beauticians, there are doctors who have butchered clients as well with these Lasers.

Commenter

street professor

Location

sydney

Date and time

May 25, 2012, 1:45PM

My face was forever ruined by a registered nurse wielding a laser at skin clinic in Brighton which is owned by a prominent plastic surgeon. When I phoned to say things had gone horribly awry they just wiped their hands of me. And you cant sue - doctors and nurses are fiercely protected by a corrupt medical system.

Commenter

Kitten

Date and time

May 25, 2012, 2:05PM

ah yes you can, despite the waiver you may have signed you can still sue,l people do it all the time.

Commenter

Lily75

Date and time

May 27, 2012, 8:00PM

Sounds like an awful experience KittenBut, ( for next time, if somethong bad happens again)The lasering was done at a private practice of some type, not a public hospital.You have every right to complain., but it sounds like "they " ( the clinics management ) sold you utter BS , if "they "said they wernt responsible.There is no "corrupt"system, ( any proof? ) to protect Drs and nurses.There are private companies who will do and say anything, particularly to easily fooled customers.

Commenter

LeftyRoy

Location

near sydney.

Date and time

May 28, 2012, 6:51AM

Of course you can sue, Kitten. Just go and see one of the Personal Injury Law firms. If you have a permanent injury or scarring it should be easy. Nothing to do with your perception of doctors and nurses being fiercely protected by a corrupt medical system. Medical malpractice cases are prosecuted in our courts regularly.So called Beauty treatment salon might be more difficult to deal with.

Commenter

Quantum of Solace

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

May 28, 2012, 9:26AM

I find it fascinating what women are willing to risk (and pay for) in the pursuit of beauty. Worse, is what young men "expect" a women to endure so she can be perceived as "clean" is truly extraordinary. In years to come, we'll look back in astonishment at this phase of what's considered beautiful.

Commenter

Mr Do-Bee

Location

Romper Room

Date and time

May 25, 2012, 2:39PM

Mr Do-Bee, I wasnt pursuing beauty - merely a solution to very distressing rosacea, and this clinics nurses lied to me and told me that laser was the only thing that could rectify it. I stupidly trusted these 'ladies' as they are registered nurses. Them being registered nurses implied a certain level of trust in me - yes, stupid I now know.

As anyone who suffers from rosacea will tell you, they are very desperate to find a solution to this condition. The mess my face was left in is far worse than the original condition I was seeking treatment for - this has been 3.5 years of suffering and isolation due to the disfigurement I sustained...

The lesson I can share from my experience is, RUN if a glorified beauty therapist boasts that they are a registered nurse! Being a registered nurse just means they have super protection from the AMA in the event that something goes wrong and you just cant possibly sue them.